Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to describe parent involvement programs with a high degree of participation in three low-socioeconomic/high-percentage Spanish-speaking elementary schools in Orange County, California. The focus was on describing the evolution of the programs, the characteristics of the programs, the challenges encountered, and the strategies used in response to the challenges. A set of recommendations regarding establishing high parent involvement was compiled. Methodology. Three elementary schools were chosen to participate in this qualitative case study. The selection was purposive as they had been identified as having a high degree of parent involvement. The data for this study were collected during focus group and one-on-one interviews with the schools' principals, teachers, and parents. The structure of the interview questions was based on the Joyce Epstein (1995) Framework for Parent Involvement. Additional descriptive information was collected through the examination of documents and artifacts. Findings. It was found that the success of a school's parent involvement program is dependent on the principal's beliefs, decisions, and corresponding behaviors. The principal and teachers had to be willing to cater to the school's families. The six Epstein framework characteristics were found to occur only when there was constant clear communication and parents were able to express their needs and desires to the school. When this occurred the result was parents who were able to become active participants because they knew what to do. The principal and teachers needed to show parents how to help their children and be involved at school. Conclusions. The following conclusions were made: (1) a dedicated principal who understands and values the individuals who make up the school community drives the parent involvement plan; (2) successful parent involvement focuses first on the needs of parents; (3) the more proficient in English the school's parents are, the more able they are to communicate, learn, and become involved; and (4) teachers must be willing to go beyond their job description to make parent involvement work. Recommendations. Schools that wish to improve their parent involvement need to: (1) discover parents' needs and provide services that make parent involvement possible; (2) be visible and reach out to parents; (3) create a comfort level for parents; and (4) provide a parent center where parents can meet.